Is Oregon vs. Ohio State Really the Biggest Game in Autzen Stadium History?

On Monday, Oregon football beat reporter Matt Prehm noted on x.com that Saturday's Oregon-Ohio State matchup will be the first top-five matchup ever played inside Autzen Stadium.

Soon after, several fans and other reporters began questioning whether or not this week's game is the biggest ever played in Autzen Stadium

Today, we hope to answer that question effectively, but first, we must decide what constitutes a "big" game.

In my eyes, a "big" game is essentially a high-stakes one, where a win or a loss could make or break a team's season. So for this article, I've researched every matchup between ranked teams in the history of Autzen Stadium, and whittled the list down to a few true contenders.

In order to determine if this week's game is "bigger" or "higher-stakes" than any of my contenders, I'll be attempting to explore the context of each matchup:

What were the teams looking like heading into the game? What would a win have meant to either side? How well did each team finish the season?

After breaking down each matchup, I'll provide my answer to the question many Duck fans are asking this week, but first, let's hop in the time machine:

Sept. 20, 2003: No. 22 Oregon 31, No. 3 Michigan 27

The 2003 matchup between the Ducks and Wolverines was huge for a number of reasons.

Both teams entered the game undefeated, while Michigan was coming off a 38-0 victory over 15th-ranked Notre Dame. In other words, the Wolverines were looking like true national title contenders at the time, and while Oregon was coming off a 48-10 win of its own, the Ducks were looking to spoil the fun.

In front of a crowd of 59,023, Oregon pulled off a thrilling 31-27 upset as running back Terrence Whitehead ran for 76 yards and a score and Jordan Carey returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Ultimately, the Ducks crumbled in the weeks following the win over the Wolverines, which makes it difficult to crown this matchup as the biggest in Autzen Stadium history.

Nov. 3, 2007: No. 4 Oregon 35, No. 6 Arizona State 23

As it will be this weekend, College Gameday visited Eugene in 2007 for a game between two Pac-10 teams ranked inside the top-10 of the AP poll.

At the time, it was just the second top-10 matchup to ever take place at Autzen Stadium, and the Sun Devils were rolling into Eugene 8-0. Meanwhile, Oregon was 7-1 with its lone loss coming in heartbreaking fashion to highly-regarded Cal.

In other words, both teams were in the national championship hunt in early November, which obviously made for a high-stakes matchup.

Ultimately, Oregon won 35-23 as Dennis Dixon scored four total touchdowns and launched himself into Heisman favorite talks. The star quarterback would tear his ACL against Arizona the following week, bringing an abrupt halt to an otherwise memorable season of Duck football.

Oct. 31, 2009: No. 10 Oregon 47, No. 4 USC 20

In a game eternally remembered by Oregon fans as "fright night," Oregon blew the brakes off USC on Halloween night in 2009, preserving its chances of returning to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1994.

Entering the game, both teams were 6-1 while the Trojans held statement wins over ranked teams such as Ohio State, Notre Dame and Cal.

Meanwhile, Oregon had beaten Cal and a ranked Utah team itself, setting up a battle between Ducks and Trojans that would determine the frontrunner in the Pac-10 race moving forward.

The Ducks emerged with a resounding victory, beating the Trojans for just a second time since 2001 on their way to a Rose Bowl appearance.

Dec. 3, 2009: No. 8 Oregon 37, No. 13 Oregon State 33

Later in 2009, the Ducks and the Beavers squared off in the "biggest" matchup in the history of their in-state rivalry.

With Oregon entering the game 9-2 and 7-1 in conference play, and Oregon State entering 8-3 and 6-2, either team would have clinched a trip to the Rose Bowl with a victory.

As a result, Autzen Stadium provided a raucous environment for an emotional battle between the two teams. The Ducks ultimately emerged with a dramatic victory as LaMichael James ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns, lifting Oregon into the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1994.

The Ducks ultimately fell to Ohio State 26-17, but they had vaulted back onto the national scene thanks in part to their win over Oregon State.

Oct. 2, 2010: No. 4 Oregon 52, No. 9 Stanford 31

During Chip Kelly's second year in Eugene, Oregon and Stanford met in early October to determine a Pac-12 frontrunner, and the Ducks sent a message heard around the nation as College Gameday was in town.

Trailing 21-3 in the first quarter to Andrew Luck and the Cardinal, the Ducks put their foot in the ground and closed the game on a 49-10 run to vault themselves well into the national championship conversation.

LaMichael James finished the game with 257 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, helping springboard Oregon to its first and only unbeaten regular season in school history.

The Ducks would ultimately fall 22-19 to Auburn in the BCS National Championship Game, while Stanford went on to finish 12-1 with a win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

Sept. 6, 2014: No. 3 Oregon 46, No. 7 Michigan State 27

During Marcus Mariota's final season in Eugene, the Ducks faced Michigan State with massive College Football Playoff implications on the line.

Both teams entered the season with high expectations, setting up just the fourth-ever top-10 matchup to take place in Autzen Stadium at the time.

Ultimately, Oregon blew the game open in the second half and came away with one of its biggest statement wins in history. Mariota finished with 318 passing yards and three touchdowns.

The Ducks would go on to fall in the national championship game to Ohio State, while the Spartans finished the season 11-2 with a Cotton Bowl win over Baylor.

Conclusion

So, is Saturday's matchup between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon the biggest game in the history of Autzen Stadium?

Well, yes and no.

On paper, there's never been a game between higher ranked or more talented teams, but as I mentioned earlier, the stakes matter.

2024 is the first year in the history of college football where 12 teams will have a chance to compete for the national championship during the postseason. As a result, regular season games mean much less today than they did during any of the matchups we mentioned above. While single losses used to essentially eliminate teams from title contention, they can be used as different types of resume-builders in 2024.

So, with much lower stakes than most of the games listed above, I can confidently say this week's Oregon-Ohio State game is not the biggest in Autzen Stadium's history . Highest-ranked? Sure. Most spectacular? Maybe. But not the biggest.

That title is reserved for when seasons are on the line.